No doubt illustrations are most important in the field of taxonomy, however it can be excluded if we are focusing on any other issue than taxonomy. Even though, illustrations can help documenting our results.

I believe that any scientific illustration is critical component in any paper, if it is drawn base on deep scientific knowledge.

Betty Edwards' book, "Drawing From the Right Side of the Brain" might be inaccurate about the neurology involved, but the exercises will give you a big step forward for illustrating your keys etc.

Hello Isabel; As a student I was trained as an architectural draftsman. As a biologist those skills (that I thought were a dead loss when I changed major) have been invaluable throughout my career.

I now study ants and accurate identification is essential. The old keys, with rudimentary illustrations, were barely usable and the characters horribly ambiguous. The new ones rely on high-quality automontage macrophotography. For instance, inspect the images at antweb.org. They are simply magnificent and better than almost any illustrator could produce.

I don't know how a botanist, for instance, would react to images like those. I'll bet that you will get many opinions depending on the discipline. Best regards, Jim Des Lauriers

Illustrations are essential in any taxonomy work. When I have not had access to holotypes, in most cases, I have needed some good illustrations to complete a poor description. If an author does not have illustration skills he can always enlist the help of professional illustrators, but the author has to guide and supervise the illustrator so that the figures show what the specialists expect to see.

I am an advocate of using illustrations in articles on taxonomy, genus or species taxonomy. Especially when it comes to describing a new taxon. There are now many technical means to facilitate this. In many journals, the classic drawing can be replaced by a clear photograph of the object of study.

Hi Dr Isabel Muñoz . It provides a way to share ideas in an engaging and educational way. Artists have the skill necessary to translate scientific information into accessible and understandable artwork that bypasses difficult scientific terms and explanations. See the following link: https://www.fi.edu/blog/why-we-need-scientific-illustration

See the following link: https://archipelago.gr/en/importance-scientific-illustrations-october-2017/

Also see the following link: https://themedicalillustrationcompany.com/scientific-illustration-benefits/

Kindly see also the following link: https://www.maaillustrations.com/blog/article/importance-of-book-illustrations/

Thanks all for your replies. I agree with all os you about the importance of using illustrations in the papers or any presentations, speech, etc, as has said D. T. Sanchez

Thanks Aref Wazwaz , Lewis Maccarter James Des Lauriers for sharing webs or books.

Some of you have spoken about the use of photograph.Sergey Viktorovich Pushkin It`s true, the avances in this discipline, we only have to look the ant photos! And I know that currently, the journals allow the use of photos even to describe a new species. I have done that, but, I continuous thinking in the importante of making a scheme, a drawing isolating the thing you want to represent or highlight of the total of the specimen or part of the specimen. Even as a complement.

Is true that you can look for help in another person, may be a professional illustrater, as commented before José Francisco Carrasco , but at the end, you must spent a lot of time trying to transmit to the other person what you want, and after you must review several times,..

I think if you can learn some illustrations skills, you must do it, and invest time in that.

And only when I start to illustrate an specimen, a crab for instance, only at that time I start to be aware of the structures of the individual.

Yo are most welcome dear Isabel Muñoz . Wish you the best always.

Indeed that not everybody given the talent in drawing..but as a student in Biology, somehow l just able to draw the morphology of specimens given to me in the practice session. And to my experience, we remember much more to those specimen when we make a sketch of them. I think because we were absorbed to it whilst making the sketch.

I had to learn how to illustrate when I did my dissertation. But it all depends on how much time you have. I agree that you start seeing characters that you may have missed before, if you are forced to illustrate specimens. However, as an amateur I may never reach the quality of an illustration from a professional graphic artist. It you have someone like that available, please take advantage of this person. If you have to purchase services, that may get expensive. But regardless whether you use outside help or not, you should still try to illustrate the most important structures yourself; simply, because in this way you will learn much more about the specimen. There is something about hand/eye coordination that helps you understand and remember structures. My students like to use their cell phones to take pictures from specimens, but that is not the best approach to remembering structures. I always tell them to illustrate what they see, even if they cannot draw (or so they think). I also tell them to take an illustration course with our local artist in the college.

Norma Afiati Christof Stumpf

Illustration was not part of my higher education, so I did choose to take art on my own accord. And indeed, when making an illustration I have indeed realised that details I knew about and have had in front of my eyes still was important. As those were different in one way of other.

The image show the funny snub nosed frogs I work on right now. The most obvious feature is the very wide dorsal striata. During the mating season they display a long list of behaviours and calls that previously not have been described.

scientific illustration is extremely important. It provides a way to share ideas in an engaging and educational way. Artists have the skill necessary to translate scientific information into accessible and understandable artwork that bypasses difficult scientific terms and explanations.

@Anders Forsgren, your drawing is accurate and fine..

Sure Norma Afiati , is the best way to learn more about our specimen or whatever. My congratulations Christof Stumpf ! I wish I had had a teacher who would have encouraged me to draw. Anders Forsgren perfect! A good picture is very useful, but summarizing what we have found out in a scheme is always the most clarifying.

If you don´t have skill for drawing, you could make useful schemes, not a realistic illustration. But this last thing is not necessary for scientific papers.

Hello all; There seem to be two themes in this discussion. The first is the value of drawing for personal enrichment...helping to see better and more detail and the satisfaction of having made a figure.

The other thread is how to effectively communicate those important details that words fail to do. It is a really rare illustrator that can do that consistently. That's why I've become so taken by the photographic techniques now available. Best regards, Jim Des Lauriers

Sometimes, one is lucky enough to have a talented colleague / friend who has drawing skills and knows the diagnostic characteristics of the fossil :). That complements the good pictures or other new techniques of image.

James Des Lauriers It´s true, here there are some interesting themes. With the first I think all of us are agree, about the importance of the illustrations.

About the second one, I think that a good photo can be complemented with a scheme, simple or complex. As Àlex Ossó has said before. By the way, beautiful Paromola! Someday I will try to draw with so details :)

Currently, I'm learning to illustrate in colour, or schemes very simples. I must practise more. :)

Hello Isabel; I think that, unlike excellent photographs, excellent illustrations can exaggerate just the features that need to be emphasized. That's the trick! Cheers, Jim Des Lauriers

Thank you Isabel Muñoz, the credits for these drawings go to Fernando Ari Ferratges Kwekel. They are very useful for interpreting the remains of fossil crabs that are not always very apparent in nature or in photography. In this case, the drawing corresponds to a fossil Paromola (in press): http://boletinsgm.igeolcu.unam.mx/bsgm/vols/epoca04/7303/A311220_Ferratges.pdf

Your drawings are beautiful.

Cheers.

Norma Afiati Isabel Muñoz

Thank you both for the nice words. =)

And even a good photo still might need additional drawings to explain what a feature look like. In my case that was needed for the genitals of bugs - who could not be identified without a close look on those parts as those species can be quite variable.

And while James Des Lauriers prefer photos, it would then require to drive around wildly to all regions to catch the various phenotypes when you realise that something you spotted during fieldwork turned out to be something important.

So I have to object a bit to the notion that illustrations is made for personal cred, it's more than that. And getting photos can be time consuming, not to mention that it's in the middle of the winter and no bugs around, or that Tropus descriptus only is found on a different continent.

During my student days, I drew and learned everything from taxonomic subjects, except vertebrates. Personal drawing illustrations are very helpful in learning. With time and practice, these illustrations become great. I think illustration is better than photography because it emphasizes important details.

For public education, scientific illustration is extremely important. It provides a way to share ideas in an engaging and educational way. Artists have the skill necessary to translate scientific information into accessible and understandable artwork that bypasses difficult scientific terms and explanations Isabel Muñoz

Dear Isabel Muñoz

Scientific illustrators are essential to the communication of scientific information because of their ability to translate ideas into visuals that can be used to communicate information to a broad range of audiences.

Sincerely...

Ref.(https://www.fi.edu/blog/why-we-need-scientific-illustration)